August 4, 2014 Too Young for Disability Insurance? Yeah, Right If you are in your 20s or early 30s, you may live like you’re “Young, Wild and Free,” to borrow a song title from the recent past. But you’re not immune from injury or illness. Unless you’re wealthy, making ends meet could be difficult if…
August 1, 2014 Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change: A Growing Challenge for the U.S. (From the Lawrence Berkeley Lab, University of California at Berkeley) In 2005, we prepared a special report focusing on this topic.Mills, E., R.J. Roth Jr., and E. Lecomte. 2006. “Availability and Affordability of Insurance Under Climate Change: A Growing Challenge for the U.S.” Journal of…
July 18, 2014 Renter’s Insurance 101: What Does Renter’s Insurance Cover? If you’re a renter and you assume your personal property is protected by your landlord’s insurance, you could be making a huge mistake. Without renters insurance, you’re at risk of losing all your personal possessions. Many people don’t realize that the owners of rental units…
July 18, 2014 Good, Bad or Ugly? People often ask UP: How do I find a good insurance company and avoid a bad one? The facts and statistics on which insurers are more likely to pay your claim on time and in full have been hidden from consumers. But new tools are…
July 15, 2014 Can Technology Disrupt The Consumer Insurance Market? In the late 1980s – before there was a Web – I had the privilege of working for the late great attorney Gene Anderson, hero of corporate policyholders, scourge of insurance companies. I was his ghostwriter – on legal briefs, articles, and the occasional speech…
June 30, 2014 It’s worth boning up on homeowner insurance Mention the word insurance, even to people who pay attention to other consumer topics, and you’re likely to draw yawns. Trust me on that – it’s just the nature of the beast. After more than a dozen years of writing about everything from airfares to…
June 30, 2014 Not Gone With the Wind: Protecting Your Belongings in Tornado-Prone Areas Think your belongings will be protected during a tornado just because they’re locked up in a self-storage unit? Few buildings can withstand the 200 mph winds of an F4 tornado, but even lower-category tornado blasts can twist off roofs and blow your stuff around in…
June 24, 2014 Lyft your limits? People who live in neighborhoods where it’s been hard to get a cab are cheering the era of Uber and the rise of Lyft (pardon the pun). Getting stood up by a cab that was supposed to drive you to the airport? Hauling yourself out…
June 19, 2014 2014 Car Insurance by Credit Score Report Everyone knows that auto insurance is mandatory (except in New Hampshire). Furthermore, we know that our credit scores dictate the types of loans and credit cards for which we can garner approval. But when it comes to the connection between credit scores and car insurance,…
June 16, 2014 Look for loopholes in insurance policies before bad luck strikes Hurricane season is starting slowly, and weather forecasters predict that El Niño may help spare us this year. But as Hurricane Sandy reminded our region, you never can predict when you’ll be in bad luck’s bull’s-eye. So it’s a good time to consider how to…
May 30, 2014 Double Check UP The recent wildfires in San Diego and Arizona are a chilling reminder of how long wildfire season has gotten in the west and with hurricane season fast approaching in the East and South, we encourage everyone to take a moment and do a quick insurance…
May 6, 2014 Want to fire your insurance agent? Is it time to fire your insurance agent or broker? “If they’re not serving you, helping you and giving you good guidance, you should break up with them,” says Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a San Francisco-based insurance consumer advocacy group. But while…
April 29, 2014 Pay fees to help insure workers? ‘OK,’ say most Highlights: 51 percent of Americans ages 50-64 want to see the law kept in place, compared to just 41 percent of younger adults. 78 percent of Republicans say the law should be repealed, versus just 14 percent of Democrats and 52 percent of those who…
April 9, 2014 Pesky Gaps and Caps (No) thanks to past wildfires, many Scripps Ranch residents have as much insurance expertise as professional agents or brokers. During the vacation months when empty homes are a target for burglars, it’s worth checking your homeowner’s policy for those pesky “internal limits” that apply to…
April 9, 2014 Premiums Rise for Long-Term Care Insurance. Keep It or Drop It? By ANN CARRNSThe New York Times, MARCH 21, 2014Every day, Jesse Slome says, about a half-dozen people contact his office at the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance, a group for industry professionals, to complain about premium increases on their policies.Financial planners, too, are hearing…
March 31, 2014 5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big One FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2014 Notice to Consumers5.1 Southern California earthquake reminds Californians to be prepared for the Big OneEarthquake insurance can help residents repair, rebuild, or replaceLOS ANGELES, Calif. – The 5.1 La Habra earthquake was significantly more powerful than the 4.4 magnitude…
March 20, 2014 ConsumerWatch: Is Earthquake Insurance Worth It? Despite the risk of earthquakes, an estimated 10 percent of California homeowners have earthquake insurance. KPIX 5 ConsumerWatch asks if the state’s earthquake insurance fund is healthy. Julie Watts reports.